Soil water repellency and infiltration in coarse-textured soils of burned and unburned sagebrush ecosystems

Millions of dollars are spent each year in the United States to mitigate the effects of wildfires and reduce the risk of flash floods and debris flows. Research from forested, chaparral, and rangeland communities indicate that severe wildfires can cause significant increases in soil water repellency resulting in increased runoff and erosion. Few data are available to document the effects of fire on the spatial and temporal variability in soil water repellency and potential impacts on infiltration and runoff on sagebrush-dominated landscapes. Soil water repellency, infiltration and runoff were assessed after two wildfires and one prescribed fire in three steep, sagebrush-dominated watersheds with coarse-textured soils. Water repellency was generally greater on unburned hillslopes and annual variability in water repellency had a greater impact on infiltration capacity than fire effects. The most significant impact of fire was canopy and ground cover removal on coppice microsites. Infiltration rates decreased on coppice microsites after fire even though soil water repellency was reduced. Fire-induced reduction in infiltration resulted from the combined effect of canopy and ground cover removal and the presence of naturally strong water repellent soils. Removal of ground cover likely increased the spatial connectivity of runoff areas from strongly water repellent soils. The results indicate that for coarse-textured sagebrush landscapes with high pre-fire soil water repellency, post-fire increases in runoff are more influenced by fire removal of ground and canopy cover than fire effects on soil water repellency and that the degree of these impacts may be significantly influenced by short-term fluctuations in water repellent soil conditions.     

Paying for wolves in Solapur, India and Wisconsin, USA: Comparing compensation rules and practice to understand the goals and politics of wolf conservation

With growing pressure for conservation to pay its way, the merits of compensation for wildlife damage must be understood in diverse socio-ecological settings. Here we compare compensation programs in Wisconsin, USA and Solapur, India, where wolves (Canis lupus) survive in landscapes dominated by agriculture and pasture. At both sites, rural citizens were especially negative toward wolves, even though other wild species caused more damage. Wisconsin and Solapur differ in payment rules and funding sources, which reflect distinct conservation and social goals. In Wisconsin, as wolves recolonized the state, some periodically preyed on livestock and hunting dogs. Ranchers and some hunters were more likely to oppose wolves than were other citizens. The Wisconsin compensation program aimed to restore an iconic species by using voluntary contributions from wolf advocates to pay affected individuals more for wolf losses than for other species. By contrast, wolves had been continuously present in Solapur, and damages were distributed amongst the general populace. Government-supported compensation payments were on offer to anyone suffering losses, yet claims registered were low. There were no significant differences in attitudes of any particular segment of the population, but those losing high value livestock applied for compensation. Residents at both sites did not report (Wisconsin) or expect (Solapur) a change in attitude towards wolves as a result of compensation, yet they support the existence of such programs. To assess the merits of any compensation program, one must disentangle the multiple goals of compensation, such as reducing wolf killing or more fairly sharing the costs of conserving large carnivores.     

Trends associated with residential development in riparian breeding bird habitat along the Snake River in Jackson Hole, WY, USA: Implications for conservation planning

Throughout North America, bird population declines may be attributable to loss of habitat on the breeding grounds. Human land uses such as residential development, greatly impact landscapes and biota, particularly breeding birds. Riparian areas, which are essential to breeding birds, are particularly vulnerable to development pressures. In North America, most studies have focused on eastern birds and it is unclear how western bird assemblages respond to the effects of residential development. We sampled bird community parameters and habitat variables at three spatial scales (microhabitat, macrohabitat, and landscape) along a residential development gradient within the Snake River riparian corridor in Jackson Hole, WY, USA. Principal component analysis and multiple linear regression statistical tests were used to determine the effects of housing densities on avian community parameters, guilds, individual species distributions, and environmental variables. Landscape-level features were most affected by residential development and trends associated with increasing housing densities, such as anthropogenic habitat fragmentation primarily structured local bird communities. Overall species richness and diversity declined with increasing residential development. Neotropical migrant species were most negatively impacted and consistently declined in proportional representation on forested plots as residential development densities increased. Food generalists, ground gleaners, and avian nest predators all increased with increasing residential development. Brood parasites, on the other hand, did not increase with increasing housing densities and their distribution may reflect the availability of nest host species. These results suggest that residential development within riparian habitats may be exerting a strong negative influence on western bird communities and at high densities may lead to a depauperate avian biota. The results of our study indicate that preserving forest structure may benefit certain species but will not likely conserve as diverse and rich an avian assemblage as minimizing fragmentation associated with residential development.     

Effectiveness of a barrier wall and culverts in reducing wildlife mortality on a heavily traveled highway in Florida

Because of high numbers of animals killed on Paynes Prairie State Preserve, Alachua County, Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation constructed a barrier wall-culvert system to reduce wildlife mortality yet allow for passage of some animals across the highway. During a one year study following construction, we counted only 158 animals, excluding hylid treefrogs, killed in the same area where 2411 road kills were recorded in the 12 months prior to the construction of the barrier wall-culvert system. Within the survey area lying directly in Paynes Prairie basin, mortality was reduced 65% if hylid treefrogs are included, and 93.5% with hylid treefrogs excluded. Sixty-four percent of the wildlife kills observed along the barrier wall-culvert system occurred at a maintenance road access point and along 300 m of type-A fence bordering private property. The 24 h kill rate during the post-construction survey was 4.9 compared with 13.5 during the pre-construction survey. We counted 1891 dead vertebrates within the entire area surveyed, including the ecotone between the surrounding uplands and prairie basin which did not include the barrier wall and culverts. Approximately 73% of the nonhylid road kills occurred in the 400 m section of road beyond the extent of the barrier wall-culvert system. We detected 51 vertebrate species, including 9 fish, using the 8 culverts after the construction of the barrier wall-culvert system, compared with 28 vertebrate species in the 4 existing culverts prior to construction. Capture success in culverts increased 10-fold from the pre-construction survey to the post-construction survey. Barrier wall trespass was facilitated by overhanging vegetation, maintenance road access, and by the use of the type-A fence. Additional problems resulted from siltation, water holes, and human access. These problems could be corrected using design modifications and by routine, periodic maintenance.     

Historical influences on the vegetation and soils of the Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts coastal sandplain: Implications for conservation and restoration

Both disturbance history and previous land use influence present-day vegetation and soils. These influences can have important implications for conservation of plant communities if former disturbance and land use change species abundances, increase colonization of nonnative plant species or if they alter soil characteristics in ways that make them less suitable for species of conservation interest. We compared the plant species composition, the proportion of native and nonnative plant species, and soil biogeochemical characteristics across seven dominant land use and vegetation cover types on the outwash sandplain of Martha’s Vineyard that differed in previous soil tillage, dominant overstory vegetation and history of recent prescribed fire. The outwash sandplain supports many native plant species adapted to dry, low nutrient conditions and maintenance of native species is a management concern. There was broad overlap in the plant species composition among pine (Pinus resinosa, P. strobus) plantations on untilled soils, pine plantations on formerly tilled soils, scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia) shrublands, tree oak (Q. velutina, Q. alba) woodlands, burned tree oak woodlands, and sandplain grasslands. All of these land cover categories contained few nonnative species. In contrast, agricultural grasslands had high richness and cover of nonnative plants. Soil characteristics were also similar among all of the woodland, shrubland and grassland land cover categories, but soils in agricultural grasslands had higher pH, extractable Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ in mineral soils and higher rates of net nitrification. The similarity of soils and significant overlap in vegetation across pine plantations, scrub oak shrublands, oak woodlands and sandplain grasslands suggests that the history of land use, current vegetation and soil characteristics do not pose a major barrier to management strategies that would involve conversion among any of these vegetation types. The current presence of high cover of nonnative species and nutrient-enriched soils in agricultural grasslands, however, may pose a barrier to expansion of sandplain grasslands or shrublands on these former agricultural lands if native species are not able to outcompete nonnative species in these anthropogenically-enriched sites.     

Understanding mental constructs of biodiversity: Implications for biodiversity management and conservation

The participation of the public in environmental decision-making and management is increasingly seen as essential for the success of conservation initiatives. Ecological scientists and conservation practitioners have, however, argued that a lack of understanding of biodiversity issues by the public is a barrier to their effective participation in decision-making processes. These arguments are often based on studies where scientific knowledge is used as the sole measure of public understanding of biodiversity, and therefore fail to account for individuals’ constructs of biodiversity and related issues such as biodiversity management.We examined individuals’ mental constructs of biodiversity, and their conceptual contexts, through a series of focus group discussions with members of the general public in Scotland. To gain a fuller picture of public understanding of biodiversity, we distinguished between mental associations with the term ‘biodiversity’, and the meanings associated with biodiversity-related concepts independent of scientific terminology.We found participants to express rich mental concepts of biodiversity, irrespective of their scientific knowledge. These included notions of balance, food chains and human-nature interactions, and showed strong normative dimensions that were used to define desirable or ideal states of nature. These concepts of biodiversity were, in turn, strongly related to their attitudes towards how best to manage biodiversity.This study highlights that a better understanding of individuals’ mental constructs of biodiversity, which are linked to their attitudes towards biodiversity management, is essential for the design of biodiversity-related policies that are supported by the public.     

Importance of cryptic species for identifying ‘representative’ units of biodiversity for freshwater conservation

Nested systems of biodiversity classification are commonly used for designating protected area networks in terrestrial and marine realms. Whilst terrestrial-style protected areas are largely inappropriate for freshwater systems, the concepts of ‘representative’ biodiversity and ‘complementarity’ can be borrowed for freshwater conservation. Cryptic species are commonly found in freshwater macroinvertebrates and fish, and most have restricted distributions relative to the described conglomerate ‘species’. This indicates that ‘representative’ and therefore ‘complementary’ units of freshwater biodiversity may be smaller than previously appreciated. Using recently detected cryptic species in atyid shrimps from eastern Australia (Atyidae: Paratya australiensis, Caridina mccullochi and C. indistinca), we tested predictions about regional patterns of cryptic assemblage structure, endemism and Phylogenetic Diversity (PD) at the river scale, and discussed their implications for freshwater conservation. Patterns of distribution in these cryptic shrimp species largely corresponded with published distributional patterns of cryptic species in several freshwater fish in eastern Australia, and indicated the presence of four putative ecoregions within a previously recognised freshwater fish province (Eastern Province). However, some rivers had pronounced cryptic endemism, suggesting that rivers may not be ‘representative’ of one another’s biodiversity even within ecoregions. PD and endemism were largely correlated with one another, as endemics typically co-occurred with widespread species at the river scale. This study indicates that cryptic species can contribute to defining patterns of biodiversity at nested spatial scales that may be important for freshwater conservation.     

农业景观生物多样性功能和保护对策

研究表明,农业集约化生产和农业景观均质化导致农业景观生物多样性降低,致使生物多样性相关野生资源保护、自然授粉、害虫调节、水土涵养等生态系统服务功能受损,进而影响了农业可持续发展。本文对国内外农业景观生物多样性及其生态系统服务功能研究和实践进行了综述。分别探讨了农业景观在生物多样性保护、授粉服务、调节服务、水土涵养等多方面生态服务功能中发挥的作用及其生物多样性保护的意义,总结了欧美在农业景观生物多样性保护所采取的实践措施,指出中国虽然在生物多样性保护方面做出很多努力,但却忽略了对农业景观的保护,近些年的城市化和集约化发展都进一步加剧了农业景观生物多样性的丧失,亟需借鉴欧美国家经验提出我国的农业景观生物多样性保护策略。我们认为保护和提高农业景观生物多样性的生态集约化对维护农作物产量,改善品种具有重要的作用。农业景观生物多样性保护需要从农田生态系统和农业景观两个尺度上开展农业景观综合管理,提高农田作物和景观植物多样性和异质性,恢复和提高生物多样性及其生态服务功能。最后,针对我国农业可持续发展面临的问题和需求,建议从政策和法规、监测和评估、工程技术研发、技术集成示范、生态补贴制度、培训和推广等方面,开展农业景观生物多样性保护。     

Indicators of biodiversity, what do they indicate? - Lessons for conservation of cryptogams in oak-rich forest

In the Nordic countries, sets of Indicator (Signal) species, predominantly cryptogams, have been used as one measure to find forest stands which may harbour Red List species. Such data could potentially also be used to prioritise among stands for protection as nature reserves. We studied if the number of Signal species indicates the number of Red List species in oak-rich mixed forest in south Sweden. We also explored if species richness of the investigated groups is correlated with the number of Red List or Signal species. In 25 stands, we surveyed epiphytic and epixylic bryophytes and lichens, ground-floor bryophytes, and wood-living fungi. We studied correlations for two datasets; (1) all forest species and (2) deciduous forest specialists. When relating the number of Signal species to the number of Red List species for each taxon and in total, a significant correlation was found for temperate deciduous forest lichens. The number of Signal species was further significantly correlated to total species richness for lichens (all forest species) and for wood-living fungi (both datasets). The number of Red List lichens was correlated to total lichen richness (deciduous forest species). Signal species seem not to be unequivocal in prioritising potential reserves among valuable oak-rich woodlands and surveys by Red List species experts may be needed. Signal species may be more useful for finding relatively valuable sites in a matrix of production forest. Moreover, Signal species seem to be useful surrogates for total cryptogam species richness.     

Properties of land mosaics: Implications for nature conservation in agricultural environments

Agricultural landscapes are mosaics of different land uses. Their vast extent throughout the world means that they have a key role in the conservation of biodiversity. To provide a sound basis for management, it is important to recognise the emergent properties of land mosaics and understand how they influence components of biodiversity. In most studies in agricultural landscapes, inference is restricted to single sites or patches because this is the unit used for sampling and analysis. For mosaic-level inference, sampling must encompass multiple land uses and elements within a mosaic, be aggregated to represent the ‘whole’ mosaic, and be replicated across multiple mosaics. This paper reviews studies in which land mosaics are the unit of replication, to identify the influence on biota of three categories of emergent properties of mosaic structure: the extent of habitat, composition of the mosaic and spatial configuration of elements. The extent of habitat is usually a dominant influence on the occurrence of single species or the richness of assemblages defined by habitat type (e.g., forest birds). The composition of the mosaic, based on the proportions of elements present, strongly influences the species composition of faunal assemblages. Heterogeneity or diversity of elements is often positively correlated with the richness of taxonomic assemblages. In studies that separate the independent effects of emergent properties, spatial configuration generally exerts less influence on biota than extent or composition. A fourth property, the geographic position or environmental variation among land mosaics, also significantly affects the status of the fauna in many studies. Temporal persistence of species and turnover in assemblages in agricultural landscapes are also influenced by the structure of the land mosaic, but there are few long-term data sets that allow comparison of temporal changes with mosaic properties. There is great scope for further investigation of the properties of mosaics and the mechanisms by which they affect the conservation of biodiversity. This includes studies of responses from a wider range of biota (in addition to birds), investigation of spatial scale effects on faunal responses, temporal responses of the fauna to change in mosaic structure (and potential time-lags in response), and the effects of variation in mosaic structure on population demography and ecological processes.     

Urban domestic gardens (IX): Composition and richness of the vascular plant flora, and implications for native biodiversity

Garden floras interact with native biodiversity by providing resources for wildlife and by acting as a source of non-native species. Understanding the composition and richness of garden floras will help evaluate the relationships between these floras and the wider environment. The composition and richness of vascular plant floras were measured in a stratified sample of 61 urban, domestic gardens in Sheffield, UK, based on complete garden inventories. The entire garden flora contained 1166 species, of which 30% were native and 70% alien. Across gardens, aliens showed lower occupancy than natives, comprising 79% of the species recorded only once. The garden flora contained 146 plant families, which included 72% of the native, naturalised or recurrent casual families recorded in the wild in Britain and Ireland. Gardens contained on average 45% natives, irrespective of garden size. Garden area explained 30% of the variation in species richness within individual gardens. Doubling garden size led to an increase in species richness of 25%. The garden flora comprised 10% annuals, 63% biennial/perennials, 18% shrubs and 8% trees; shrubs were disproportionately composed of alien species. The floras of urban domestic gardens probably form the greatest source of potentially invasive alien plants. However, the plants found in domestic gardens have closer affinities with the uncultivated flora than is often perceived, and their role for wildlife in gardens deserves reassessment. Declines in garden size that result from recommendations on the density of new housing are unlikely to have major consequences for plant richness in gardens.     

Medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation in the Swat valley,north-western Pakistan,for economic development and biodiversity conservation

Most people in the Swat valley of northwest Pakistan practice subsistence farming, supplementing their income by collecting and selling wild harvested plants for use in herbal medicine. Previous work showed that the collectors did not know the potential long-term impacts of collecting wild plants. We hypothesized that establishment of ex situ cultivation plots for these most valuable species would provide a sustainable alternative and lead to development of skills in agricultural production and marketing among participants. Swat valley farmers were helped to establish plots in four locations and taught to cultivate ten medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs). In the first year, workshops were held on the financial benefits of growing MAPs for trade, criteria in selecting species, and strategies to improve MAP yield. In the second year, emphasis was placed on helping the farmers achieve a better price for their products by engaging them in discussions concerning criteria used in setting purchase prices. Seven of the ten cultivated MAPs yielded a better financial return than tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.), the traditional cash crop in the area. Cultivating MAPs can yield a higher financial return than traditional cash crops, but a long-term assessment is necessary. Offering training in collection, preservation, and marketing can enhance the financial return and the long-term benefits of cultivation. Introduction of standardized production technology and appropriate post-harvest management has become a prime engine of growth for the economies of the subsistence farmers participating in our study, and is leading to better management and conservation practices for MAPs and the landscapes in which they grow.     

The challenge of maintaining Atlantic forest biodiversity: A multi-taxa conservation assessment of specialist and generalist species in an agro-forestry mosaic in southern Bahia

Recent developments have highlighted the importance of forest amount at large spatial scales and of matrix quality for ecological processes in remnants. These developments, in turn, suggest the potential for reducing biodiversity loss through the maintenance of a high percentage of forest combined with sensitive management of anthropogenic areas. We conducted a multi-taxa survey to evaluate the potential for biodiversity maintenance in an Atlantic forest landscape that presented a favorable context from a theoretical perspective (high proportion of mature forest partly surrounded by structurally complex matrices). We sampled ferns, butterflies, frogs, lizards, bats, small mammals and birds in interiors and edges of large and small mature forest remnants and two matrices (second-growth forests and shade cacao plantations), as well as trees in interiors of small and large remnants. By considering richness, abundance and composition of forest specialists and generalists, we investigated the biodiversity value of matrix habitats (comparing them with interiors of large remnants for all groups except tree), and evaluated area (for all groups) and edge effects (for all groups except trees) in mature forest remnants. Our results suggest that in landscapes comprising high amounts of mature forest and low contrasting matrices: (1) shade cacao plantations and second-growth forests harbor an appreciable number of forest specialists; (2) most forest specialist assemblages are not affected by area or edge effects, while most generalist assemblages proliferate at edges of small remnants. Nevertheless, differences in tree assemblages, especially among smaller trees, suggest that observed patterns are unlikely to be stable over time.     

A biodiversity monitoring framework for practical conservation of grasslands and shrublands

Comprehensive and standardized biodiversity monitoring schemes are needed to build scientifically sound decision-making tools for biodiversity conservation. Based on a thorough review of published literature, we propose a novel biodiversity monitoring framework to unify conservation theory and practice. The framework is built on the inter-connection among different types of indicators, and on the systematic articulation of their relationships into seven indicator approaches. Semi-natural grasslands and shrublands in Europe, which still lack a common biodiversity monitoring scheme, are used as a model for the framework. Different biotic indicators have been widely used to estimate the state of biodiversity, but we integrate these with biodiversity drivers, i.e. factors driving changes in biodiversity, to track biodiversity response to environmental changes. Precise information on biodiversity drivers (e.g. past and present management or disturbance regimes, environmental conditions, landscape patterns) has an effective indicator value, but this is often not taken into account in monitoring schemes. Our framework can be used to detect gaps in available data, translate indicator systems into practical conservation, identify combined sets of indicators to monitor biodiversity in target habitats, and recognize most suitable surrogates when information for some indicators is missing. We also take into account the effect of regional species pools in order to consider large-scale historical and biogeographical processes. We propose general guidelines to create validate and launch biodiversity monitoring frameworks for target habitats in the light of current examples of biodiversity conservation schemes (e.g. Natura 2000 in Europe).     

The spatial patterns of indigenous wildlife use in western Panama: Implications for conservation management

Measuring the impacts of indigenous hunting on neotropical wildlife populations remains a difficult task. Significant insights can be gained by analyzing the spatial patterns of hunting yields. This paper presents a geographic analysis of game captured by hunters in 59 households belonging to five neighbouring villages in western Panama over a period of 232 days. The locations of 1269 game kill sites within a hunting zone of 131 km² were documented with trained local investigators and then entered into a geographic information system with associated attribute data for analysis. Results show a heavy concentration of kill sites around the study communities. Nearly 90% of the total harvest by weight was captured within just 2 km of hunters’ homes. Yet, while several species are captured in large numbers close to home, others are caught closer to the outer peripheries of the shared hunting zone, suggesting that some degree of localized depletion may have occurred. The findings demonstrate the value of mapping the boundaries of hunting zones and game kill sites to assess the impacts of hunting on game species in tropical and other ecosystems and to provide an empirical basis for delimiting conservation zones that balance the use and protection of wildlife in tropical forest regions.     

黄土高原水土保持政策演变

水土保持政策是指导和促进水土保持开展的主要社会驱动力之一。新中国成立以来,黄土高原水土保持经过探索治理、重点治理、全民治理、小流域综合治理和预防为主、依法防治等5个阶段。在不同阶段,水土保持目标和任务、治理主体、政策的针对性和治理主导措施侧重等均有变化。在分析政策演变的基础上,提出了针对新时期水土保持特点的政策建议。     

The fish fauna of mountain streams in South Korean national parks and its significance to conservation of regional freshwater fish biodiversity

The fish fauna of mountain streams in the Jiri (440 km²) and Seorak (373 km²) National Park areas of South Korea was investigated from September 1998 to May 2001. A total of 5979 fish were collected and classified into 22 families and 60 species from both national parks. At Jiri, 30 species in 12 families of fishes were collected, while at Seorak there were 42 species in 17 families. Zacco temmincki [relative abundance (RA) 47.9%] was dominant at both parks. Subdominant species were Rhynchocypris kumkangensis (RA 10.8%), Zacco platypus (RA 9.4%), and Pungtungia herzi (RA 5.3%). A total of 20 species were found to be Korean endemic species, representing seven families. The relative abundance of Korean endemic species was higher at Seorak (30.5%) than Jiri (18.5%). One exotic species (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and two species translocated outside their native catchments (Hypomesus nipponensis and Coreoperca herzi) were collected. The proportion of Korean endemic freshwater fish species in both parks (33.3%) was higher than the overall proportion on the Korean peninsula (23.6%). Within the 14 South Korean mountain-area national parks as a whole, larger parks tend to have higher fish diversity. We conclude that South Korean national parks are important for conservation of the regional fish fauna, especially for endemic and endangered species. Current threats to conservation of fishes within South Korean national parks are identified and management solutions are suggested.     

Species richness in Mediterranean agroecosystems: Spatial and temporal analysis for biodiversity conservation

We used dung beetles as an indicator group to identify the most important habitats for biodiversity conservation in a Mediterranean traditional agroecosystem. The relationships between traditional grazing and farming activities and biodiversity were analysed by comparing species richness and temporal turnover across three different habitat types, defined according to vegetation structure and human land use. In this study, both spatial (landscape, among-habitats) and temporal (intra-annual, seasonal) analyses were contemplated at mesoscale.The measurement and use of temporal beta diversity (i.e. an index of temporal species turnover) in conservation biology showed that it is a simple method to characterize and compare different habitat species-assemblages, particularly when time seems to be a significant factor in explaining biodiversity features.Our results showed open mosaic areas as the richest and most temporally heterogeneous habitats. We suggest the maintenance of traditional human activities carried out in these areas, since they have been a significant diversification agent, to avoid the loss of the high Mediterranean biological diversity.     

开发建设项目水土保持监测之我见

水土保持监测是水土保持工作的基础,目前尚处于起步发展阶段.论述了开发建设项目水土保持监测的目的和意义、监测内容、指标及监测特点,针对目前开发建设项目水土保持监测存在的主要问题,提出建议和对策.     

A range-wide model of landscape connectivity and conservation for the jaguar, Panthera onca

Large, wide-ranging carnivores face greater threats and more persistent declines than most other mammal species. An important conservation tool for these carnivores has been range-wide priority-setting exercises that have helped identify critical threats and key populations. However, such exercises often fail to identify functional movement corridors or account for genetic connectivity. We present a new model for jaguar (Panthera onca) conservation that uses a geographic information system (GIS) and expert input to create a dispersal cost surface and identify least-cost corridors connecting the 90 known populations across the jaguar’s range. Results indicate 78% of historic jaguar range, an area of approximately 14.9 million km², still holds potential for jaguar movement and dispersal. We identified 182 potential corridors between populations, ranging from 3 to 1607 km in length; 44 of these corridors are characterized as being of immediate concern due to their limited width, and thus their high potential for being severed. Resultant maps, displaying priority populations and corridors, are used to direct field-based research and conservation efforts. Field assessment and refinement of the corridors is ongoing. This is the first attempt to create and implement such a holistic model of range-wide conservation for a large carnivore species.